A Valentine for Brennan
by MoreBonesPlz
Summary: In Season 6, Booth dismissed Valentine's Day as "just another day." In the years since then, has Brennan been able to rekindle his belief in the romance of Valentine's Day and make him appreciate it again? Here's my take on it. This is a one-shot.


**A/N:** _Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day._

* * *

**DISCLAIMER:** I own nothing _Bones_ related except my imagination. I did borrow some script from the show.

* * *

_Saturday, February 14, 2015_

As the first rays of the early morning dawn started to penetrate the full wall picture window of the master bedroom in the Booth-Brennan household, the lady of the manor, Dr. Temperance Brennan, leisurely woke from her slumber and rolled over in her bed to admire her sleeping husband. In the soft light of the early morn, he appeared peaceful and worry free, a subtle smile causing the corners of his mouth to tick upwards ever so slightly. Listening to the smooth, even cadence of his quiet breathing, Brennan could only surmise that he was currently happy.

_She_ was certainly happy. Her life was richer and more meaningful than she'd ever imagined she'd get to experience. She and Booth had a lovely four-year old daughter, Christine, and a second baby expected in about 4-1/2 months. They lived in a beautiful house that finally, after over six months of residing in it, they were feeling comfortable enough in to call it "home." Brennan and Booth both had careers they enjoyed and were considered quite successful at. They had friends they could count on and their love for each other was stronger than ever having survived several challenges in the last couple years.

Love.

It took Brennan a long time to acknowledge the intangible sentiment even truly existed and now she tried very hard not to take Booth's love for granted. While they both openly recognized that _he_ was generally the more romantic partner in the relationship, she made a concerted effort to find ways to let him know how important he is to her on a regular basis. It may be something as simple as cooking one of his favorite dinners or preparing a nice warm bath for him after a long, hard day. Sometimes she'd pick up a package of the beef jerky he likes so much from the store and stash it somewhere for him to find as a treat (like the driver's seat of his SUV or in his sock drawer). She'd given him beef jerky the day she proposed to him so when she surprised him with it now, it was like affirming she'd make the same choice if she had it to do all over again. When he looked stiff or like his body was aching, she'd give him a massage to ease his discomfort. Although, more often than not, once he was relaxed and no longer appeared to be suffering the massage would turn into an erotic seduction culminating in multiple orgasms for her, so she wasn't sure that counted since it was somewhat self-serving.

Then there is today. February 14th. Valentine's Day. A day in which lovers in many countries across the world give the object of their affection a token to symbolize their devotion. Flowers are the most common token exchanged, but cards, poetry, and candy are also frequently gifted. Seeley Booth and Temperance Brennan also recognized Valentine's Day as a special day. After all, when you are in an intimate relationship with someone, you can't simply _ignore_ Valentine's Day, even if both partners disdainfully viewed the stereotypical exchange of candy, store bought cards, flowers, or jewelry as the clichéd result of an over commercialized society. As a result, it was a little different for them than most couples.

By tacit agreement, Brennan was the designated romantic on Valentine's Day while Booth was the recipient and her "gifts" to him were always more about the sentiment that accompanied the gift than it was about the physical gift itself. Sometimes her "gifts" were mementos that she thought would have distinct meaning to Booth, while other times they were more intangible, like a unique experience that creates a memory to last a lifetime.

It started with the first Valentine's Day they celebrated together, before they were romantically involved. Booth, fresh off his break-up with his ex-girlfriend, Hannah, had been feeling disenchanted with the whole prospect of love and romance. On the other hand, Brennan, who knew Booth was still a romantic at his core and was, herself, gripped quite firmly in the throes of love, had wanted to find a way to distract him from his misery and, if she was lucky, possibly even restore a little of his faith in the power of love, even if he only perceived it as the love of a friend and didn't recognize it as the love of a potential paramour.

Brennan thought back to that first shared Valentine's Day.

* * *

_Monday, February 14, 2011_

Booth, Brennan, and the Jeffersonian team were called in to investigate the murder of a wedding planner found dead in her home tanning booth. Throughout the day, Booth had made several disparaging comments about Valentine's Day.

"_Valentine's Day is not a holiday. It's just made up by these greeting card companies and florists."_

"_It's a really stupid holiday if you think about it. The only memorable thing that ever happened on February 14__th__ was the St Valentine's Day Massacre."_

Eventually Brennan had concurred with what she hoped came across as a supportive response.

"_It's a ridiculous holiday. The banks don't even close."_

But inside, her heart felt crushed. She knew she loved Booth as more than just her partner. She knew she wanted him to love her too. But he had told her several weeks earlier, when he was still dating Hannah, that he had moved on and no longer viewed her as a potential romantic interest. Then, when he and Hannah broke up, he'd essentially told her he was willing to be her work partner, but nothing more. If she couldn't agree to those terms, then he'd find her a new FBI partner and she'd have no part of him at all. Like many times before, Booth put boundaries on their relationship and Brennan agreed, willing to take whatever part of him he was prepared to share.

She'd had multiple other opportunities for dates that Valentine's Day night, but she'd turned them all down. Brennan simply couldn't envision spending the evening out socializing with another man knowing Booth was alone somewhere hurting. And forget about sex. She'd been celibate for nearly 3 damn years while she'd been struggling to accept her feelings for Booth. She wasn't about to engage in some casual and meaningless dalliance after all that time. No, she was done with crappy sex. Next time she engaged in intercourse, she wanted to make love. Besides, when she was around any man other than Booth, her libido was practically catatonic.

So, she'd subtly probed Booth about his plans for the evening and when he'd mentioned the possibility of going to the shooting range after earlier referencing the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, an idea had started to form in her mind of something she could do for him that she thought he'd enjoy but wouldn't overstep the latest line he'd drawn between them, yet again.

Brennan had checked out two Tommy Guns from the Jeffersonian's Roaring Twenties exhibit. After verifying the guns were still in safe working condition, she'd had to drive thirty minutes across town to a specialty gun shop and pay top dollar in order to obtain ammunition that would work with the antique Tommy Guns.

She showed up at the shooting range and borrowed a trolley from the front desk so she could roll the two cases of Tommy Guns in to where Booth had been practicing.

"Bones. What are you doing here?" He'd been surprised to see her, but didn't look angry. She'd been worried he might be angry with her for disrupting his solitude.

As she gave her response, she worked hard to hide the nervousness she was feeling about how he'd react. He'd been moody and unpredictable since his break-up and as she uttered her explanation as to why she was there, she hoped fervently that he wouldn't storm out. "This is my Valentine's Day gift to you."

"C'mon Bones. I told you . . . " he'd started to protest.

"Just open it." She'd insisted.

"What is it?"

"Just open it."

And he had. He'd been delighted to see the old gangster guns. Laughing and joking they'd fired the guns together and Booth had told her the guns were a great idea. Seeing his smile and the happiness that glowed on his face, Brennan swore she'd do whatever it took to put that look there as often as she could.

When they'd used up all the ammo, Booth had accompanied Brennan back to the Jeffersonian where they'd cleaned the guns together before returning them to the Roaring Twenties exhibit. Afterwards, they'd shared a pizza and a couple beers before heading their separate ways for the night.

So, while that first Valentine's Day hadn't included an exchange of flowers, candy, cards or jewelry and they hadn't ended the night engaging in acrobatic sexual activities, it was still a traditional Valentine's Day celebration in that Brennan had given Booth a token of her affection and he had accepted it.

* * *

_Saturday, February 14, 2015 – Current Day_

Brennan, head propped up on one arm, reached out with just the tip of her finger and hooked it under the lip of the sheet partially covering Booth's chest. Being careful not to waken him, she tugged slowly and gently, sliding the sheet down to his hips and exposing his chest fully to her view. She loved looking at his body. She'd been attracted by his physicality from the day they met and even after all these years, she still found pleasure in simply admiring him. The symmetry of his form. The strength of his muscles, even in repose. The dips and curves and ridges and valleys that she loved to explore with her hands or her lips or her tongue. Or even, like today, her eyes. She'd never considered herself a voyeur before becoming involved with Booth, but she had to admit, she definitely found pleasure in just watching him sometimes.

Brennan glanced over at the bedside clock. It was early, but Christine would be waking soon. They usually woke her up a little before 7:00 AM on weekdays so they could get her ready before they had to leave for work. Children at her age are creatures of routine so the early wake-up time on the weekdays meant an equally early wake-up time on the weekends. While Brennan generally considered that a good thing, on mornings like this when she'd prefer to stay in bed and wake her husband by slowly exploring his more interesting masculine parts, an early rising four year old was an unfortunate handicap.

Her willpower was only so strong though and she found herself leaning forward, towards Booth's nipple that had pebbled irresistibly when she'd pulled off the sheet. Using just the tip of her tongue, she lightly traced circles around his aureole just missing the nub in the center. As she heard Booth moan in satisfaction and felt his hand slide up naturally to cup the back of her head, she gently squeezed the tip of his nipple between her front teeth before leaning that little extra bit forward that allowed her to latch on to his breast with her lips and suck strongly. She knew how much he always enjoyed the attention to his chest, his nipples sometimes seeming almost as sensitive as her own.

"God, Bones. Don't ever stop." Booth groaned in that sleepy bedroom voice she loved to hear.

After another moment of laving attention on his nipple, she left a trail of open mouthed kisses on his chest as she shifted her head to a point on his stomach, right above his navel. She took a deep breath before planting her lips firmly to that spot immediately above his belly button and blowing as hard as she could, emitting a loud "Phhhhhtttt" sound as she blew a big raspberry in the middle of his stomach.

"Holy shit Bones!" Booth exclaimed as his body recoiled suddenly from the ticklish sensation and his eyes popped open for the first time that morning.

Brennan pulled away laughing as she rolled out of bed and reached for her robe. "You, my love, have a four year old daughter who is expecting pink, heart shaped pancakes for breakfast this morning. No time for hinky-pinky right now" she threw over her shoulder as she headed towards the walk-in closet, noticing as she glanced back at him that the bed sheet was still tented by the erection she'd coaxed and wishing she could crawl back over there to play with it.

"That's hanky-panky," he groused.

"Why?"

"Why? What do you mean _why_?"

Brennan came out of the closet having selected the pants and shirt she planned to wear and lay them across the end of the bed. "Hanky-panky or hinky-pinky. Why does it matter which phrase I used? They're both ridiculous nonsensical phrases with terms that have no meaningful definition so why is one better than the other?"

"I don't know Bones. It's just the way it is, OK."

"Alright, but you knew what I meant so I don't see how it really matters which phrase I used."

Booth, recognizing some arguments aren't worth tackling, elected to change the subject. "Didn't you tell me Max is picking up Christine today? What time are you expecting him?"

"Sometime after lunch."

"And he's keeping her overnight?"

"Yep."

"Just remember Bones – paybacks are a bitch, so you better be ready."

"Promises, promises" she responded with a laugh, feeling anticipation more than fear at his threat.

* * *

As predicted, their daughter had bounded into their bedroom full of youthful energy and exuberance and clutching her favorite stuffed bunny to her chest within 15 minutes of Brennan rolling out of bed. Now, Brennan sat at the kitchen table, scanning the news headlines on her electronic tablet while Booth and Christine prepared breakfast, their chatter and nonsense talk a steady hum in the background. Brennan let her mind drift to the second Valentine's Day she and Booth had celebrated together, this time, as a couple.

* * *

_Tuesday, February 14, 2012_

Brennan and Booth had been lovers for about eight months. Considering everything that had happened during that time, their relationship and commitment towards each other just seemed to keep getting stronger. Just the fact that Booth had put up with her crazy pregnancy-hormone induced mood swings and never faltered in his devotion to her gave her confidence in their long term staying power. But, she still suffered from the occasional insecurities and worried about making a wrong decision, unduly upsetting him.

She'd done it several times already – like when she'd had an ultrasound to determine the gender of her fetus without including Booth or when she'd starting making financial plans for their future daughter without consulting him. She'd thought the choices she'd made would make life easier for Booth, but he'd not wanted easy and he'd been very angry at her. So angry that Brennan had felt physically ill in response – with remorse, guilt, and confusion. They'd always managed to work through it and come to a compromise or understanding, but those instances left her rattled and uncertain, afraid that one day she'd unwittingly make a blunder that they couldn't recover from. While she and Booth had established a fairly comfortable rhythm to their relationship, Brennan still found herself extremely tentative and anxious when it came to things outside of their normal day-to-day lives.

Today was a perfect example. Today was Valentine's Day and she had a small gift for Booth. She'd more or less stumbled across the gift several weeks earlier and thought Booth would appreciate it and Valentine's Day had seemed like the perfect day to give it to him, but she was unreasonably nervous.

She wasn't worried that he'd get upset with her or storm out of her life over her wanting to celebrate Valentine's Day with him, but she wasn't certain if he'd be happy about it either. Last year, Booth had been very disapproving of Valentine's Day. This year, he'd been completely silent and she didn't know what to expect or how to ask him. _How can you not be able to predict the response of the man you're sleeping with, the one who's about to become the father of your child, to the question of whether he'd be your Valentine? _She was at a complete loss when it came to trying to guess Booth's thoughts about this Valentine's Day and she found that unsettling.

It was a weekday and they had both agreed to only work a half day since they didn't currently have an ongoing investigation requiring their attention. They had made an offer on a house that needed a fair bit of renovation work a few weeks earlier and just finalized the paperwork granting them ownership a little over a week ago. They jokingly referred to it as their Mighty Hut but it was a definite fixer-upper.

Since Brennan was almost at the end of her pregnancy, there was a genuine urgency to get the renovation projects moving ASAP. They had immediately contacted a home building contractor to come and start making some of the major repairs that were necessary, like fixing the hole in the exterior wall; removing one of the interior walls to open up some space; removing old carpeting; and repairing the stairs to the upper floor and the basement level to ensure they were safe and sound. That work was underway. But, they still had a lot of decisions to make about colors and fixtures and carpet versus hardwood versus tiling or paint versus wall paper and they had set aside this afternoon to do a room-by-room walkthrough of the house and make their plans. They needed to decide how much Booth and Wendell could do and what they needed to hire outside contractors to help with.

Earlier in the day, she had snuck up to the master bedroom to leave her gift where Booth would find it while they made their rounds together. Now, she was having second thoughts as to the wisdom of that decision. They'd finished going through the ground floor and part of the upstairs and were headed towards the master bedroom. Brennan's back hurt, and her feet hurt, and she felt like she imagined a bloated water buffalo might feel. She was physically and emotionally tired and she worried about how she'd react to Booth's reaction if he was anything other than genuinely pleased.

Booth noticed the wrapped gift as soon as he entered the room. "What is this?"

"This is my Valentine's Day gift to you."

"Bones. You didn't need to do that . . . " he'd started to protest as he walked over to where she'd left it, in the center of the room. Booth picked up the gift noticing it was two smallish rectangular packages, wrapped individually, and tied together with festive Valentine's Day themed ribbon.

"I wanted to. Just open it." She'd insisted with a nervous smile, biting her lower lip.

Booth looked down at the package in his hands, then back at Brennan. "I don't have anything for you" he responded, guiltily. "I wanted to do something really special for you, because, you know, you deserve that. But between this new computer-genius-FBI-murdering-serial-killer Christopher Pelant, and buying the house and getting ready to move and preparing for the baby, I just . . . well, I guess time just got away from me and all of a sudden Valentine's Day was here and I still haven't figured out a way to show you how much you mean to me Bones."

He looked so forlorn standing there in the middle of the empty ramshackle room, looking at her gift but not really seeing it through the haze of guilt in his mind at not having something prepared to reciprocate with. Brennan walked over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, laying her head on his chest. "Booth, you show me all the time how much you love me. All I want from you for Valentine's Day is _you_. Just having you here with me, spending the day and night together, that's all I want. All I need."

They stood there together in a silent embrace, sharing their love without words. Finally, Brennan pulled away. "Aren't you going to see what I got you?"

"You're sure?"

"Booth. Yes. Just open it." She insisted again.

Booth tore open the gift wrapping like a 5-year old on Christmas morning – no sense of restraint. The first package he'd opened contained a DVD. He looked at it briefly then, raising his eyes to Brennan's he questioned "The White House Tour?"

Falling into the familiar comfort of her teacher mode, Brennan explained. "Yes. It just so happens that today, February 14th, 2012, marks the 50th Anniversary of the airing of the one-hour White House Tour documentary by Jacquelyn Kennedy. It was watched by millions of viewers on TV and was considered the most widely watched televised documentary of any that had ever been produced up to that time. It consists of the First Lady giving a room-by-room walkthrough of the White House in our nation's Capital and explaining the renovations and modernizations she was planning to have done. Given that we are currently doing a room-by-room walkthrough of our own home and discussing renovation options, it somehow seemed apropos, even though we're not planning anything as grand as what the Kennedy's proposed for the White House."

Brennan relaxed a little when she noticed Booth seemed truly pleased. "Thanks Bones. It's very fitting. We should watch it together later tonight. Maybe pop some popcorn to go with it?"

"That sounds like fun Booth. Are you going to open the rest?" she inquired, nodding her head to the other small wrapped package still in his hand.

"Yeah. Absolutely."

The second box held the heart of her gift. She knew Booth strongly admired John F. Kennedy and what he'd accomplished as President. So, a few weeks ago, when a JFK collectible artifact had come through the Jeffersonian and been earmarked for auction, she'd purchased it for Booth.

The collectible was an extremely rare, limited production, John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson Official Inaugural Silver Medal complete with the provenance paperwork. The medal was just under 3-inches in diameter, weighed about 5.9 oz. and was made of almost pure silver. It was worth several hundred dollars, but the value to Brennan was sentimental, not monetary. She'd had a special case made for storing and preserving the medal which was clear and would also allow the medal to be displayed. On the back, she'd had the craftsman add an inscription plate with the message "Our Mighty Hut will be Camelot to me as long as you are there to share it. Love, Bones."

Booth, deeply touched, ran his thumb over the inscription as he let her words sink in. "Camelot is how the media used to refer to the Kennedy presidency." He spoke quietly.

"Yes. It was a reference to Jacquelyn Kennedy's comments about the hope and optimism she felt for the future during her time in the White House. With you by my side, Booth, I feel that way too."

"God, Bones" Booth exclaimed as he reached for her again and pulled her into another embrace, hugging her as best as he could given her large belly. "I love you so much Baby."

"I love you too, Booth"

And so another Valentine's Day passed where Brennan proffered a token of her affection to Booth, which he accepted, thus more firmly establishing the Booth-Brennan Valentine's Day Tradition.

* * *

_Saturday, February 14, 2015 – Current Day_

Brennan was just putting a load of dirty linens in the laundry when she heard her dad come in the front door.

"Honey? It's me" he hollered.

"Hey Dad. I'm in the laundry room. Be out in a minute." She hollered back.

Just as she finished adding the soap and set the washing machine to start its cycle, Max popped his head around the door frame.

"Booth's just getting Christine up from her nap now Dad. They should be out in a few minutes."

"Ok, no problem." Max shrugged, unconcerned. "Here, I brought this for you. Happy Valentine's Day."

Brennan turned and saw the large red heart-shaped cardboard box of chocolate truffles her dad was holding out to her. "Dad. You didn't have to do that." As she took the box from his hands, she noticed the cellophane wrapping was torn. "Oh. What's this?"

"I kind of already opened it and ate a few of my favorites."

Brennan rolled her eyes and gave her father an exasperated look. "What? I only ate the coconut flavored ones. Those are my favorite but they never make a whole box of just those, so the rest will just have to get eaten by you or your daughter. I figured I'd let you make the choice."

"Thanks Dad." She said with a resigned smile. What could you expect? It was Max. "Seems like a waste to buy a whole big box of candy if you're only interested in eating a few pieces though."

"Oh, I agree. A complete waste of money. That's why I stole it instead."

As Brennan's crystal blue eyes snapped to him and drilled in to him like a pair of twin lasers, Max just chuckled. "I'm kidding. It's a joke. You know, you're supposed to laugh, ha ha. Geez, you and that husband of yours need to lighten up a little, learn to have a little fun." Grumbling good-naturedly, Max turned away. "I'm going to go find that Princess of yours instead. She actually giggles at my jokes."

As Brennan watched her father walk away, she couldn't help but reflect back on the third Valentine's Day she and Booth shared together, which was a bitter-sweet memory. Bitter, because she'd nearly died; and sweet, because in a way, the experience had helped her get back in touch with her inner child again.

* * *

_Thursday, February 14, 2013_

Brennan spent this Valentine's Day in a hospital bed, recovering from a gunshot wound she received to her abdominal area a mere few days earlier. Booth was by her side virtually the whole time.

The fiend who shot her was another employee at the Jeffersonian who was embroiled in an artifact smuggling operation and he feared Brennan would be able to figure it out, so he had tried to eliminate her. The bullet he used was self-engineered and made from frozen blood, which had temporarily stumped the investigators. But, Brennan isn't the only genius working at the Jeffersonian and by working together, her team, along with the FBI, managed to decipher what had happened and make an arrest.

The first couple of days were touch and go for Brennan. Her heart had stopped more than once during surgery and she'd experienced a couple set-backs related to the remnants of the blood bullet in her system, but now she was in stable condition and expected to make a full recovery given a little more time. She'd been moved into a fairly comfortable private room in the recovery wing and expected to be in the hospital for a few more days still.

Brennan looked over at Booth who was sitting in an armchair next to her bed, flipping through a copy of _Sports Illustrated_ provided to him by the nursing staff.

"Booth?"

He immediately closed his magazine and gave Brennan his full attention. "I'm here. What do you need Bones?"

Reaching out to hold his hand, Brennan asked "Remember how you said you wanted us to rent a cabin at Palmer River next month and spend some time together as a family?"

Brennan was referring to the argument she and Booth had had the night she was shot, before she went to the lab. Booth had suggested they make plans to get away as a family and go camping. Brennan had pointed out that at her age, Christine wouldn't remember the experience and that she would be unable to really participate in much yet. Somehow, it had blown up into an argument and they'd each said some things they hadn't really meant.

"Hey, we don't need to worry about that right now, okay. We can wait until Christine's a little older if you want. Right now, we just need to focus on getting you all better."

"No, Booth. I've been thinking about it and you were right. We should do it. The things we do together as a family shouldn't just revolve around what will make the most distinct memories for Christine. We should do things that make good memories for you and me too. If Christine can't remember, then we'll be able to share our memories with her by showing her pictures and telling her stories."

Booth raised her fingers to his mouth and kissed them softly. "What made you change your mind?"

"My Mom. Well, you know what I mean. My hallucination or dream mom, or whatever she was. The last time I saw her, she reminded me that life should be about more than just surviving. Now that I have you, and Christine, I want to flourish and live a full life. I want that for Christine too. Mom told me I shouldn't keep the little girl inside me locked away so deeply."

"Are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes. It actually sounds quite fun. As soon as I'm well enough to be checked out of here, I'll book a cabin for us a few weeks later. Consider it my Valentine's Day gift to you for this year."

"Thanks Bones. I love you."

"I love you too Booth."

* * *

_Saturday, February 14, 2015 – Current Day_

Brennan was just putting the finishing touches on the dinner she'd made for Booth when she heard the garage door open, signaling his return. She'd given him a short list of items she'd claimed she needed and sent him to the store to get him out of the house just long enough for her to change clothes and set up their meal. The dining room table was decorated with a cream colored formal table cloth and the dining room itself glowed softly with the only light coming from a few candles strategically located throughout the room, creating an atmosphere that was both cozy and intimate. Some classical jazz was playing softly in the background.

Booth, walking in to the kitchen from the garage with groceries in hand, came to a sudden stop when he entered the room and saw his wife standing there, waiting for him with a smile. She had changed into a simple yet enticing deep purple dress which wrapped loosely around her body and yet, still managed to mold to her shape such that Booth could clearly see all her curves displayed to advantage. Her hair was swept up off her shoulders in a clip on top of her head lending an air of elegance to her ensemble. In contrast, her feet were bare and somehow that small detail had the effect of making her overall appearance seem like she belonged in a bedroom instead of a ballroom.

"Whoa. Wow. Bones, you look . . . you look great. Better than great. You look fantastic."

Brennan felt herself blush at Booth's compliment, but she was happy he seemed pleased. Stepping forward she grabbed the bags from his hands and gave him a quick buss on the lips before moving away.

"Thanks Booth. Dinner will be ready in just a couple minutes."

"OK. I'm gonna go wash up and I'll be right back" but, he continued to stand there, unable to take his eyes off his wife until she gave him a coy little smirk and called his name again with a laugh. "Earth to Booth."

"Right. Back in a minute."

When Booth came back a few minutes later, Brennan had set the food on the table and was waiting for Booth to join her.

"This looks and smells great Bones. I can't remember the last time we ate by candle like this."

Brennan paused in consideration. "I don't think we've eaten by candlelight since that time we got stuck in your elevator during that blizzard several years ago."

"Well, we should do it more often. You look beautiful in the candlelight." Booth complimented her.

"I was thinking that after dinner, maybe we can build a fire in the fire place and lay some blankets on the floor and you know, snuggle a little."

Booth gave her a knowing grin. "Snuggle, huh? Is that all you have in mind?"

Brennan chuckled. "I was trying to spare your Puritan sensibilities by using a socially appropriate euphemism. You know damn well I plan to get you naked and finish what we started this morning."

"God, I hope so" he said, taking a bite of his dinner. "You know, this is nice. The dinner, the candlelight, the music, and having the whole night ahead of us just to ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoyed how we celebrated Valentine's Day last year, but this is nice too. I'm glad that this year we're staying home and keeping it simple."

That's right. Last year, they hadn't stayed home.

* * *

_Friday, February 14, 2014_

This was Booth and Brennan's first Valentine's Day to celebrate together as a married couple and she wanted to make a gesture which would reinforce to Booth that she valued the things that were important to him.

A couple weeks earlier, Booth had finally consented to opening a joint checking account and allowing Brennan to share some of her funds with him. She'd signed over a check to him for $75,000 that she had received as an advance on some paperback book sales and told him he could spend the money however he saw fit. Booth had struggled with accepting the money, even though they're married now, but eventually he asked whether they could donate the money to the Wounded Warrior Project, a charitable organization which helps military veterans who've been injured during the course of their military duties. Brennan had, of course, agreed and contacted her accountant to make the arrangements.

Then Brennan's accountant called her back and told her the Wounded Warrior Project organization was hosting a Valentine's Day dinner event at the Officer's Club at Fort Belvoir and that her generous donation had earned her and Booth two tickets. Booth was a believer that charity should be given from the heart and kept anonymous, so they'd asked not to have their names publicly associated with the donation, but they went to the dinner event anyway. It gave them the opportunity to meet some of the alumni of the program and hear more about the many ways the program helps those it serves.

As they drove home that night, Brennan asked "Well, Booth, did you enjoy attending that event?"

"Honestly? It was kind of tough. I love my country and I'm proud of the time I spent in the Army but being around a group of wounded vets like that, it brings home the reminder that there's a human cost to every military operation we undertake. I count my blessings every day that I survived it, especially now that I have you and Christine to come home to at night. Meeting some of those guys and hearing their stories though, it's amazing and very inspirational. I'm glad we went."

"Me too. Happy Valentine's Day, Booth."

* * *

_Saturday, February 14, 2015 – Current Day_

While Brennan cleaned up the dishes from dinner, Booth got a fire started in the fire place and filled the space on the floor in front of it with blankets and pillows.

When Brennan walked into the room, Booth stood up and met her halfway, pulling her into his embrace and finally giving her the kind of kiss he'd been wanting to give her all day. He always found it so rewarding that as soon as his lips would press against hers, she just seemed to melt into his arms.

Grabbing her hands by the fingertips he pulled her over in front of the fireplace where they dropped to their knees on the nest of bedding Booth had provided. Brennan slid her hands up Booth's chest and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for another passionate kiss while Booth's arms wrapped around her back and held her in a tight embrace.

"Mmm, you feel so good in my arms Bones."

Brennan reached for the hem of his shirt. "I want to feel your skin." With her help, Booth pulled his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side.

As she studied the play of the firelight on his chest, which made his skin glow like molten gold, she ran her fingers across his pectoral muscles, down to his abdominals, and around to his external obliques. She loved just being able to feel the different contours on his body and could easily lose herself for a long time in the sensation of feeling his warm skin over the solid strength beneath as she explored and caressed his body.

But Booth had no intention of being a passive participant in their lovemaking tonight and while her hands were wandering his upper torso, he'd reached behind her and unzipped the back of her dress which now hung loosely off her shoulders. With just a little brush of his fingers, the silky purple sheath slid down her body and pooled on the floor where they knelt leaving her in just a lacy pair of panties and matching bra.

Brennan stood up briefly to fully remove the dress and as she did so, her gently swollen abdomen was right in front of Booth's face. He wrapped his arms around her upper thighs, gripping her butt cheeks in his hands, holding her steady as he leaned forward and placed soft kisses across her tummy.

"Hey sweet baby," he murmured quietly. "Your mom and dad and big sister can't hardly wait until we get to meet you."

Brennan smiled down at Booth and ran her fingers through his hair in encouragement. During her first pregnancy, she'd argued with Booth whenever he did something like this that the fetus couldn't hear him yet, but now she realized it was how Booth connected with their unborn child and she simply humored him, relishing the attention she received in tandem.

"I have a check-up scheduled with my doctor for next week and I imagine they'll perform the ultrasound. Would you like to come with me this time?"

"Hell yeah, Bones. I wouldn't miss that for anything."

With a smile, Brennan knelt back down beside him. "I think you're overdressed for this occasion Booth."

"Well, we can't have that now, can we?" he teased as he rolled away from her and shucked his jeans and boxers. "C'mere," he beckoned, and she laid down beside him.

As she leaned in to kiss him again, he reached behind her and unfastened the clasp of her bra, sliding the straps down her arms, and tossing the flimsy garment out of the way. Their lips slid sensuously over each other's and their tongues thrust and entwined in a parody of the lovemaking that would soon follow.

Booth rolled her onto her back and trailed his kisses down her neck, bringing his hands up to cup her breasts and roll her sensitive nipples gently with his thumbs. "Damn Bones. I'd forgotten how big these things got last time." Booth feathered gentle kisses across her chest, the tops of her breasts, and just below, before finally leaning in and sucking the tip of her breast into his mouth, rolling the hard pebbled nipple with his tongue as he created a delicious suction with his mouth.

After several moments of laving attention on one breast and then the other, he reached down and slid Brennan's panties from her body. Then he rolled over and positioned himself at her entrance.

"Now Booth."

Booth and Brennan stared into each other's gaze as he slid into her snug, welcoming heat.

"You're so wet for me Baby."

"Always. God, you feel so good."

And so they began a dance as old as time. Thrusting, squeezing, clenching, withdrawal, and then repeating the sequence over and over again as pressure built and pleasure mounted.

Eventually, it became too much and Brennan felt that tell-tale tingling starting at the base of her spine. "Booth." She called out his name as her whole body went rigid with pleasure and her inner muscles clamped down hard on his invading member, milking him and triggering his own release immediately after hers.

As all the tension drained from his body, taking his strength with it, Booth flopped down beside Brennan and opened his arms so she could cuddle in to him, her head on his chest and one of her legs tossed over his.

After a few moments had passed and the partners had an opportunity to catch their breaths, Brennan decided to ask Booth a question that had been plaguing her for some time now.

"Booth?"

"Yeah Bones?"

"Do you still dislike Valentine's Day?"

Sensing this was somehow more than a casual question, Booth took a moment to really think about his response before answering. "I never really disliked Valentine's Day Bones. I just think it's become a little over commercialized in the last couple decades. If you love someone, you should show it to them all the time, not just once a year. That said, I've loved every Valentine's Day that I've got to spend with you. I look forward to it now as I know you'll be there to share it with me and make it special."

"Before you, I never had anyone to celebrate Valentine's Day with. I know it's sappy and irrational, but I find it means a lot to me to know that now, when Valentine's Day comes around, you're here, in my life, to be my Valentine."

"Always, Bones. Always."

* * *

**A/N:** _If you made it this far, then you must've read the whole thing and I thank you for sticking with it! Was it worth the time spent? When I started this, I thought I had plenty of time to get it done by today. Then I got hit with a flu-like cold and fell behind on everything in my life. As a result, the last third was a little more rushed than I intended and I almost abandoned the story, but I hope it still works OK. _

_I think most folks would agree that with all his talk of love and what it meant, Booth was the more romantic partner for the 1__st__ 6 seasons. But what about after B&amp;B hooked up? IMO, since they became a couple, Brennan has become the more romantic partner in many ways. Agree or disagree?_


End file.
